Water alarms installed in basement rooms (Activity Report)

BECAUSE OUR SANCTUARY BUILDING is empty most of the time, a sudden plumbling leak or backup might easily cause a lot of damage before anyone knows about it.

Happily, our synagogue’s insurance company (Church Mutual) has provided us—at no cost—with a small, continuous monitoring and alarm system. 

When one of its sensors detects wetness, the system not only beeps every second (much like a rather quiet smoke alarm), but also sends out an ALERT text message—to me, Fleming, and Ruben. That way, we have the opportunity to act quickly to prevent a small issue from becoming a big problem.

Below the jump, this post shows the location of the sensor units and the base station.…

School water heater: Unfinished business? (Background Report)

WE WERE FORTUNATE to find a plumber who made sure to tell us what would need to be done in order to meet the current building code requirements, when our water heater recently failed. That prompted us to consider measures that we were not previously aware of. Out of the four items that he informed us about, we agreed to implement two of them, as described HERE. 

However, we opted to defer the other two items, for three reasons: they would be very costly; they would be needed only in very extreme circumstances that were unlikely in a brand-new system; and we could have them done later for the same price. 

On his written estimate, the plumber then noted the two deferred items explicitly:

Customer understands and agrees that the following items are not included in this estimate and will be completed at a later date under a separate quote/authorization:
• Run T&P (temperature & pressure relief) discharge line to the exterior
• Run drain pan discharge line to the exterior

What I have since learned, however, seems to support our decision not to pay for those two recommended changes.

Below the jump, this post describes those lingering items and their status, in more detail.…

Capital improvements accompany new water heater (Background Report)

TODAY’S REPLACEMENT of our school building’s water heater includes the installation of two new items that are required by the current building code—and for good reason. Both of them are designed not only to improve safety, but also to lengthen the life of the plumbing and of the water heater. Namely, a sediment trap (commonly called a “drip leg”) in the gas supply line, and an expansion tank in the water line. 

The rooftop vents for our school’s water heater
(Two square inlets on the left;
one round exhaust on the right.

You see that rusting cap that’s visible atop the exhaust vent? It is being replaced today, to prevent rust flakes from harming the burners down below them. Yet important as that is, it is mere maintenance. Metaphorically speaking, it’s the new capital improvements that will truly “cap off” today’s changes!

Because these small capital improvements are new to Mishkon, let me introduce them to you. Below the jump, I describe their respective functions and maintenance needs.…

New water heater in school building (Activity Report)

WHEN THE GAS COMPANY technicians came to restore service immediately after the termite fumigation, they noticed that the water heater in the school building was not working properly: its burner jets were producing luminous yellow flames. They said that for them to relight the water heater’s pilot light would be unsafe, and therefore against company policy. So they slapped on red tags instead.

Red “danger” tags at our old water heater

Happily, on the next work day a plumber came to diagnose the problem. The prognosis: after 24 years of faithful service, our water heater had reached the end of its useful life. Repairing it would cost almost as much as replacing it.

As I write this, the water heater is being replaced with a far more efficient unit. According to my previous calculations, the new unit should use almost half as much energy to heat the water that our building needs. (By law, new units are more energy efficient than they were 24 years ago; and the new 30-gal tank better fits our limited hot water use than the previous 50-gal tank.) Which means that it will mostly pay for itself if it lasts for its predicted lifetime. 

Below the jump are before-and-after photos.…

Looking into possible funding from a Perenchio Foundation grant (Activity Report)

A PASADENA-BASED FOUNDATION is requesting grant applications from organizations like Mishkon. They want to fund capital improvements that will support the arts locally. 

In their own words, “We welcome applications from non-arts organizations based in L.A. County that maintain robust, year-round arts programming and seek to strengthen their arts-related infrastructure.” 

Below the jump, this post sums up my investigation into the grant program and its requirements. It then discusses how Mishkon could meet those requirements. To be honest, I had not previously thought of Mishkon in terms of its engagement with the arts, so this exercise has been eye-opening for me. 

(N.B.: We still need someone to champion our grant application. Might that be you?)

Goals in the grant application

THIS POST is the 4th and last in a series of excerpts from our application last week for consideration for a grant award from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a non-profit organization. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post describes the time line of the grant program, our proposed scope of work under this grant, and the main components of our total fundraising goal. 

A fluke and a flood downstairs

RUBEN TELLS ME that yesterday, he and a plumber were in the process of restoring gas service to the sanctuary building. (Why the gas had been off for a month is a story for another time.) They were in the downstairs kitchen’s closet, bleeding air from the gas line to the water heater. Suddenly, they heard a loud pop and a whoosh. 

Sprinkler shutoff valve
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post describes what happened next, and its import.…

Replacing a Cracked Vent Pipe in the Small Restroom of the School Building

REPLACING an apparently cracked vent pipe in a wall of the small restroom of the school building (the one on the north side of the corridor between the classrooms, across from the chapel — called the Shemesh Restroom by the pre-school) is one of two non-emergency plumbing projects now being considered. (The other is to add a toilet in the space where the urinal used to be.)

Sample cracked vent pipe —
is this what’s inside our wall?

This post describes the situation.…

Board Approves Six Maintenance/Repair Projects

DURING THIS MONTH’S REGULAR MEETING, Mishkon’s board of directors passed three facilities-related resolutions. Taken together, the authorize expenditures — as funds are available — up to certain stated amounts for six projects. All of them are slated to be undertaken (at least begun) this summer. 

Below the jump, I list these projects, and I give hyperlinks to blog posts that have already discussed 3 of them.…

Adventures in Hunting Foul Odor(s)

JEROME GROOPMAN, MD, author of the bestseller How Doctors Think, points out that even smart minds can easily be led astray by well-known cognitive biases. He teaches that during a diagnosis process, it's important to ask three procedural questions:

• What else could it be?
• Could two things be going on to explain the symptoms?
• Is there any relevant evidence that seems not to fit with the working diagnosis?

This post applies such questions to diagnosing (and treating) a mysterious stench in our school building. 

Upon probing, it seems our building’s denizens have actually been enduring at least 2 odors at the same time.…

“By the Way, That Pipe Is About to Burst.”

IT’S USUALLY WORTHWHILE for a facilities manager to be on hand while a licensed contractor is working on the premises (or even just evaluating a bid request). Often such a vendor will point out something important that had previously escaped our notice.

Which is what happened last week, when a plumber came to deal with a clogged toilet, and I stopped by to check in.… 

The Restoration Plan, as It Stands

AS MY LOYAL READERS KNOW WELL, last June, the board approved a facilities restoration plan. Its execution is of course subject to the availability of funding, which I have little control over. Yet at least we have a plan, regarding our priorities and how to go about meeting our goals. Here is a status update.…